Destiny
by Kayla2
Summary: Short story about Matthew and Destiny on OLTL.  Shouldn't be starting with four other pending stories, but I find them adorable.
1. Chapter 1

_Hi all. This is my first One Life to Live Story. I write a lot of General Hospital fics—all of which feature Alexis Davis. I tried not to start this story because I currently have four other fics that need updating. Still this one wouldn't let me go. Hope there are some Matthew and Destiny fans that will enjoy this. BTW, Replies are always appreciated._

Chapter 1 – Seeing the Light.

Matthew stood in the hallway outside of his bedroom and eavesdropped on his parents' conversation. Eavesdropping was the only way he ever learned the truth about anything; all of the "adults" in his life treated him as though he were still a kid.

"Clint practically admitted he forced Inez to drug me, Red." Red was his father's nickname for his mother because of the color of her hair at the time they met. Though her hair held more of a brownish hue now, his father couldn't shake the nickname. A few weeks earlier, he'd seen his dad kissing his assistant, Inez at her apartment. Then his Uncle Clint told him that his dad and Inez slept together...which he told him mom. Now, it sounded as though his uncle set the whole thing up.

"What do you mean by practically?" His mother questioned. "Did he give you anything you could use?"

"No. He figured out Inez was wearing a wire. It looked like he was ready to strangle her until I came around the corner."

"Oh Bo," his mother sighed, "What are we going to do? Your brother was willing to do anything to come between us, including use our son. Clint had Matthew convinced you were having an affair with your assistant. All the while he knew Matthew had to go to school everyday and see Inez's son." Nate was Inez's son and he'd been a thorn in Matthew's side since the day he came to Llanview...and put the moves on Dani, his girlfriend of about five minutes.

"Yeah, the same kid he thinks stole his girlfriend."

"Who knows what other lies he filled our son's head with. I'm not going to stand for this." His mother's voice grew louder. "I'm going to see Clint now."

"Right behind you, Red."

As soon as Matthew heard the door close behind his parents, all of his emotions rose to the surface. He felt as though he had been kicked in the stomach. In recent months, his Uncle Clint was the only member of his family he believed he could trust. And now, he knew the truth; Uncle Clint didn't care about him at all. It was all a game to get back at his parents.

Matthew subconsciously rubbed his stomach; he felt ill. He knew there was only one person he could call; only one person would understand. He quickly dialed the number he knew by heart.

"Can you come over? I need you."

Without a moment's hesitation or a single question, Destiny responded, "I'm on my way."

Just hearing her voice calmed him. Destiny Evans was his best friend and she was the only person he trusted. And though they were both just 17, they'd been through more stuff together than people three times their age. Destiny stuck by him when he was paralyzed; in fact, she bought him the shoes he used to take his first steps. Even after she confessed she loved him and he told her he only wanted to be friends, she still stuck by him. At the time, he was blinded by the bells and whistles of Danielle Rayburn, a pretty blonde who was initially a great distraction from all of the trouble he'd had at home. Still, most remarkably, Destiny stuck by him when Danielle dumped him to be with Nate.

It wasn't like Destiny was without her problems; just last year she learned her brother was her father and her parents were her grandparents. Instead of her boyfriend, Darren, trying to help her get through it, he dumped her when he didn't like the way she reacted to him getting in the middle of the situation.

The knock on the door shook him from his thoughts. As soon as he saw Destiny, it felt like his world shifted back onto its axis. Destiny had this incredibly sweet face. It reminded him of the faces he saw on the angels in the cathedrals his parents took him to on vacation in Italy, except her face was the color of chocolate. Before they uttered even a single greeting, she pulled him into a hug.

"Matthew, what's wrong?"

"More lies...this time from my Uncle Clint."

As Destiny listened, she welcomed his truth with her big brown eyes. She never turned away no matter how ugly, he or his circumstances were. That was what made it so easy to talk to her. When he finished his latest, sad tale, they sat together in silence.

Finally, Destiny spoke up, "What are you going to do about your Uncle?"

"I don't know. My parents want me to quit, but I want to find out what else Uncle Clint is hiding. I already know stuff he's done that my parents don't know about."

"Like what?"

He hesitated for a moment, knowing that Destiny wouldn't like what he was going to say. Still she was his best friend and they shared everything. He took a deep breath before he spilled. "Like Uncle Clint fixed a DNA test so Rex Balsom wouldn't know he was his son."

"Matthew, how long have you known about this?" She gave him a look that expressed her clear disapproval. He'd seen that look quite a bit over the last few months. "Rex has a right to know about his parents."

He shook his head, "no." Rex currently believed he was the son of Charlie Banks. Charlie was a good guy and he wanted to be Rex's dad, whereas his Uncle Clint did not want Rex as a son. Given what Destiny was going through, he knew she would disagree with his assessment of the situation. "I don't know, Des. It's not my secret to tell."

"What else do you think your Uncle is hiding?" By the way she changed the subject, he could tell she didn't want to fight.

"I don't know, but I can tell there's more. " He looked at her and realized there was still sadness behind her eyes. He knew that she was still reeling from the revelation about her brother being her father…and the recent breakup with her boyfriend. "Have you talked to Darren, lately?"

"Not since he tried to stage an impromptu family reunion." She dropped her head. Seeing her sad broke his heart.

They talked for a few minutes more before she checked her watch. "Matthew, I should go. I promised Shaun I'd be home early. "

He walked her to the door. "Thanks for coming. I feel better now."

"Good." She smiled at him. Her smile lit up her face.

"Bye Des."

"Bye Matthew."

They embraced as they typically did as they parted. But as she turned her back to him, something inside him caused him to call her name. "Destiny…"

"Yeah," She turned to face him.

And then, before he could stop himself, he did something he'd wanted to do for weeks; he cupped her cheek with his right hand and gave her a tender kiss. When they broke from the kiss, she looked at him with surprise in her eyes.

"Goodnight Matthew." She left without waiting for his response.

Matthew couldn't believe how right it felt to kiss his best friend. Part of him felt like an idiot. When he was paralyzed, before he met Dani, he knew how awesome Destiny was. But then he met Dani and they broke out of the boarding school where his parents tucked him away. Even though Destiny was with them on part of the journey, Dani was new and he got caught up in her newness.

He wondered what Destiny was thinking about their kiss. It felt as though she kissed him back, but she didn't say anything about it. She also left pretty abruptly. He wished his big brother, David, was in town. He'd know what to do. Destiny's friendship meant everything to him and he didn't want to do anything to mess it up. Still, he really enjoyed kissing her and he hoped he could do it again…soon.

"Hey there." His mother mussed his hair. He'd been so deep in thought that he hadn't heard his parents come in. "You're in a better mood than you were earlier. What perked you up?"

"What are you talking about?" He realized he sounded like a jerk as soon as the words came out of his mouth. Still there was no way he was going to talk about kissing his best friend with his mother.

"She's probably talking about that grin you had on your face when we walked in."

"Oh. " He decided to exit the conversation before he said too much. "I'm going to bed now." He paused for a moment as he thought of how grateful he was that his dad was back home and that his dad hadn't cheated on his mom. He kissed his mom on the cheek and gave his dad a hug.

No sooner than he was in his bedroom. His cell phone rang. It was Destiny. "Hey Des."

"I called to say goodnight…and so we could talk about that kiss."

"Okay." He felt his heart race.

"It was nice but it can't happen again."

His heart sank. He had to know what was going on with her. "Why?"

"Because its too soon after Darren. And you're my best friend. How many times have you said, nothing was going to happen between us? The kiss was your reaction to all of the stuff you've been going through."

"It wasn't." He defended himself. He really wanted to kiss her. He couldn't have stopped himself if he tried.

"You hurt me pretty badly when you told me we could only be friends. But now I think it was for the best. Your friendship means everything to me and I don't want to jeopardize it. I hope you can understand."

"Of course." He did his best to sound nonchalant.

She breathed an audible sigh of relief. "Thanks Matthew. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah."

After they concluded their call, Matthew found himself staring at his phone. Destiny was scared; he couldn't blame her. He'd been a jerk to her in the past. But he was a Buchanan and one thing he learned from his dad, Grandpa Asa and even his Uncle Clint was that Buchanans always fought for what they wanted. And he realized that what he wanted now more than anything was Destiny.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hi all. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the wonderful replies. They encouraged me to complete this chapter as quickly as I could. Matthew's got it pretty bad in this chapter. Still he and Destiny are doing their best to navigate all of their personal issues. Hope you enjoy. (BTW, I'd love more of those replies.) _

Chapter 2 – On the Right Path

Matthew paid extra attention to his appearance as he got ready for school. In a couple of hours, he would see Destiny for the first time since they kissed…or rather since he kissed her. When they spoke on the phone the night before she admitted the kiss was nice, even if she did say it couldn't happen again. He would have been heartbroken if he thought she meant it, but he knew she was just scared. The truth was he'd been a knucklehead in the past, overlooking her for every skinny blonde that caught his eye. But in the last year, he'd been through a lot and for some reason she'd stood by him. Now, she was the most important person in the world to him …and the most beautiful.

For the first time in weeks, he was glad to see his dad sitting at the table sipping his coffee. Typically, his dad left early for the police station, but apparently being the police commissioner had its perks. Although he wished his brother David were here instead, he'd have to settle for his dad.

"Hey Dad." He poured himself a glass of orange juice, mostly so he would have an excuse to sit.

"Hey Matthew," Bo smiled. "What's new?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything Son, shoot."

Matthew took a deep breath. He hoped his dad would answer his question without asking too many of his own. He also hoped he would answer the question before his mom woke up. "What do you do if you want a girl to know you really like her?"

"Anybody I know?"

Instead of answering, he sighed loudly. As soon as Destiny changed her mind about him romantically, he'd be more than happy to tell his dad about his feelings for her. For now, he'd hold back, just in case Darren was more persistent than he anticipated.

Bo responded to his silence with a chuckle. "Okay, okay…I supposed you might give her some flowers...maybe a single rose…in her favorite color…whoever the mystery woman is." As Matthew mulled over his father's words, Bo stood and patted him on the back. "You know whatever you do, the most important thing is that it comes from your heart."

His dad was right; he needed to show Destiny that he was serious about how he felt about her.

"Matthew."

"Yeah Dad?"

"I've noticed Destiny wears purple a lot; I think it might be her favorite color."

Matthew dropped his head. Sometimes having a cop for a dad sucked. Then again, if he was right about the flower, it might not be so bad. "Th…thanks Dad."

Matthew could barely get through first period because he typically saw Destiny right after at her locker, which was located outside of his classroom. Sure enough, as soon as he exited the room, he saw Destiny, Nate and Danielle at Destiny's locker. While it was true that he'd rather not have to deal with Nate or Danielle right now, he needed to see Destiny to make sure they were okay.

"Hey." His eyes focused only on Destiny.

"Hi Matthew."

"Dani…Nate." Although he wasn't particularly fond of Danielle or Nate, he acknowledged them because he knew it would make Destiny happy. They responded with barely audible greetings themselves.

"Des, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Destiny nodded while Danielle and Nate made themselves scarce. When they were out of earshot, Destiny asked, "What is it Matthew?"

He took a deep breath. The trouble with Destiny was that she always told the truth; it was also her absolute perfection. If she didn't like what he had to say, she would tell him. The same was true if she didn't buy it.

"Well Matthew, what did you want to talk to me about?"

He had practiced a million speeches in his head about how he was sorry for being such an idiot in the past. But now, his words failed him. So, instead, he reached in his backpack and pulled out the single long stem purple rose that was still wrapped in paper by the florist. He handed it to Destiny.

"What is it?"

"It's me showing you that I'm done being an idiot."

Destiny smiled, but before she could respond, Darren interrupted. "Destiny, will you please talk to me? I've been going crazy without you."

Matthew stared at Darren with disbelief. "Uh Darren, Destiny and I were kind of in the middle of something."

"What are you, Destiny's boyfriend all of a sudden?"

"You damn sure aren't." He and Darren had been friends once, but now, Darren was his competition and Destiny was a prize Matthew was determined to win.

Before Darren could speak again, Destiny turned to her back to him and faced Matthew. "Matthew, you're not helping." He felt the hair on the back of his neck rise until she continued. "Why don't you go to class and we can finish what we were talking about during lunch at the Buenos Dias."

Although Matthew took it as a good sign that Destiny suggested an impromptu lunch, by lunchtime, he was on pins and needles. He wondered why Destiny chose to talk to Darren, yet sent him away. He relaxed as he saw her enter alone, holding the unwrapped purple rose.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hi," she smiled before she slid into the booth. Instead, of sitting across from him, she sat next to him. Still, she seemed almost shy, the way she had when he kissed her. "The rose is beautiful."

"So are you."

"You don't have to say that."

"It's true." Now, he was blushing. "I guess I learned how to walk before I learned how to see."

To his surprise she kissed his cheek. A gentle silence fell over the table. After Carlotta took their order, Matthew decided to ask Destiny something that had been on his mind. "Des, why did you want to talk to Darren instead of me, earlier?"

She smiled. "Matthew Buchanan, do you know how many times I have found someone kissing someone when they were supposed to be kissing someone else? I wanted to make sure Darren understood that we were no longer together."

For a moment, he processed what she said. "Does that mean you plan on kissing someone else?"

"Maybe."

He looked at her and saw she was smiling. And for the first time since he kissed her the day before, he felt as though he could breathe. After another pause, he decided to push his luck a little further. "The Valentine's Day dance is coming up soon."

"Same time every year."

_Wow, he thought to himself, she really is going to make me work hard._ No matter, he was up to the challenge. "So, do you want to be my date?"

"Duh, why do you think I had to have a conversation with Darren?" She shook her head at him in disgust. "What am I going to do with you, Matthew?"

The two chuckled. As they finished their lunches, he could tell something was on her mind. He knew she would tell him if he gave her space. After a few minutes, she spoke again, "My parents want to have dinner with me tomorrow night. Shaun thinks I should go."

"How do you feel about it?"

"I don't know. I still can't believe they lied to me my entire life, but part of me feels like I should at least hear what they have to say."

"I can go with you, if you want."

"I want. Dinner is at the Palace tomorrow night."

Noticing the time, they headed back to school. Against Destiny's advice, Matthew insisted he needed to go to Buchanan Enterprises after school to see his Uncle Clint. Although his parents told him to resign the day before, his uncle refused to accept his resignation. Now that he knew that Clint purposely deceived him, he was determined to find out what else he was hiding.

No sooner than he arrived, he headed to his Uncle Clint's office. He figured it would be best to put on a smile and greet his uncle. The door was slightly ajar and he could hear his uncle talking on the telephone.

"What do you mean one of the guards let Vickers use his phone? How do you plan on dealing with this?" His uncle let someone explain something. "If anyone finds out that I'm behind Vickers being held, I'm coming after you." Clint slammed the telephone onto the handset.

It was worse than Matthew imagined. Uncle Clint, the man he'd practically worshipped for the last few months, was holding his brother hostage. And for what, to get back at his dad? He should have known David wouldn't leave Dorian at the altar a second time.

Matthew waited a few moments and entered Clint's office. He then told Clint that even though his parents told him to quit, he would tell them he had basketball practice and continue to come to BE. Uncle Clint seemed to be pleased by Matthew's defiance of his parents' wishes.

That night before he went to bed, he called Destiny. "Des, it's worse than I thought, Uncle Clint is holding David somewhere."

"What? That's crazy. Where is he?"

"I don't know. I have to keep going there until I find out."

"Matthew, shouldn't you tell your parents? Your dad is the Police Commissioner, after all."

"If I tell my parents, they'll confront my Uncle Clint and he'll hide where David is. Uncle Clint trusts me, so I have to be the one to find David."

"Let me know if you need my help. After all, David and I are besties."

"I thought I was your best friend?" He teased her. He was well aware of the unusual friendship Destiny shared with his brother and he didn't mind it a bit. David would be one of the few people who would be happy that they were a couple…assuming they really were a couple by the time they found him.

"I guess David and I are second besties then."

The two chatted a while longer before they said goodnight. Thirty seconds later, Matthew redialed Destiny's telephone number.

"Matthew, we just hung up. Why did you call back?"

"I wasn't ready to stop hearing your voice. " He smiled. This time she would know how much she meant to him.

"Goodnight Matthew," she giggled. He loved her giggle. "Goodnight, Des." He hung up the phone then said quietly, "I love you."


	3. Chapter 3

_Hi all, sorry this chapter took a little longer than the last ones, but life got in the way. (I wonder what OLTL's excuse is for not showing them once since the big kiss. ARGH!) Anyhow, Matthew's making progress toward getting his woman in this one and Destiny's making progress in trusting her feelings. I hope you enjoy. As always reviews are appreciated._

Chapter 3 – Making Headway

Matthew knew he was early as he arrived at Destiny's door. His watch, which read 6:00 p.m. confirmed it. While it was true that dinner with Destiny and her parents was not due to start for another hour and The Palace was only a few minutes away, he decided Destiny might need him for moral support. He noticed his hands were clammy and wiped them on his pants before he rang the buzzer.

Shaun, Destiny's eight-foot-tall older brother, answered the door. To say that Shaun was intimidating would be an understatement. Matthew remembered a time, while he was still paralyzed, right before his mom married his Uncle Clint. The whole family was supposed to meet at the family cabin, which his mom forgot was not wheelchair accessible. When it seemed like there was no way for him to make it inside, Shaun scooped him up like he was as light as a stuffed animal.

Matthew smiled to himself as he recalled that it was on that same night when he asked his recently-departed Grandpa Asa for a sign that things would be okay. Not even two seconds later, Destiny walked in the room. He used to think it had been a sign that he would walk again; Destiny fought harder to make that happen than anyone, even than his parents. Now, he wondered if it was a sign that things would always be okay…as long as Destiny was in his life.

"Matthew," Shaun's voice snapped him away from his thoughts. Although he was intimidating, Shaun was typically pretty cool. He spoke softly, "Hey, now is not a good time, Destiny and I are heading out in a few."

"Shaun," Destiny called out from somewhere behind him, "I asked Matthew to come."

"Why?"

"Moral support." She pushed past Shaun and grabbed Matthew's hand, pulling him inside with one swift motion. Destiny wore a deep purple dress that was cut in a way that caused him to remind himself to look only at her eyes…instead of where the dress was causing him to look.

"What am I?" Shaun frowned. Matthew wondered if Shaun caught his eyes roaming.

'You're my brother…and Matthew's my friend."

"Just your friend?" Shaun raised an eyebrow suspiciously, which made Matthew feel a little bit unsteady. "Why are you still holding his hand then?"

"Shaun, knock it off or you're going to scare the boy."

_Too late, _Matthew thought to himself.

"Let's go, Matthew." She led him toward the door before she called back to Shaun, "We'll meet you at The Palace."

Matthew was surprised at how different things seemed. He'd never been intimidated by Shaun before; now, he was terrified that the man could read his thoughts. As Destiny led him to his car, he was able to relax. Once inside, he said the words he'd had wanted to say since he entered Shaun and Destiny's apartment. "You look great."

"Thank you." She smiled brightly. "And thank you for coming with me."

"After all you've seen me through, it's the least I can do." He took a deep breath as he caught a glance at her legs. "Do you think it's a good idea, though? I mean, I don't think I am your parents' favorite person."

"You are my favorite person, so that's all that matters."

Matthew's heart began to race. He was so caught up in the compliment that it took a minute for him to realize that Destiny disappeared into her own mind for a while. Still, the silence between them was comfortable and he decided to let her be. When she spoke, her voice was so soft, he barely heard her. "How are things with your dad?"

"Good."

Matthew recalled that Destiny had seen him when he was at his angriest with his parents, both when they refused to let him have the surgery and most recently when he thought his dad slept with Nate's mom.

"You're not still mad at him?"

"Not really."

"How did you get over it so fast?"

"I don't know. I guess it's just better having him at home than being mad at him."

Once more she grew silent. A moment later, she asked, "Do you think I'm overreacting…you know about Greg and my parents?"

"Des, you have better instincts than anyone I know. So, I trust you, the same way you trusted me to do what I needed to do with my parents."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks Matthew."

When they arrived at the palace, it was still only 6:30. So, Matthew decided to impress Destiny by showing her around the place. While he knew she'd been there before, he was fairly certain that she hadn't seen all of the hidden places that he'd been privy to while growing up. Before long they wound up in the ballroom. He knew most of the hotel staff, so it was no problem getting someone to open the room for them.

"It's beautiful," Destiny gushed. She was right. The floors were made of imported Italian marble and a crystal chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling. Destiny moved away from him and admired a mural on the wall. While she was distracted, Matthew pulled out his cell phone and scanned through his list of songs. When he found Talking to the Moon by Bruno Mars, he pressed play and turned the volume up loudly enough for them both to hear.

At the sound of the music, Destiny turned and looked at him. "Matthew Buchanan, what are you up to?"

"Want to dance?"

She nodded bashfully and then he took her into his arms. As they swayed to the music, Matthew enjoyed the feel of her in his arms. "You don't know how many times I pictured dancing with you when I was stuck in that stupid wheelchair."

"Until you met Dani," her voice was soft, yet, the still-present hurt managed to shatter his heart into a million pieces.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, Des. But if you give me another chance, I promise it won't happen again."

"Ever?"

"Never." Inching his way to her mouth, he prepared to kiss her until suddenly she stopped him.

"Matthew, we have to go. It's 7:10. We're late."

They arrived in the palace dining room to find Shaun and Mr. and Mrs. Evans already waiting. Their frowns were apparent as Matthew and Destiny approached the table.

"Destiny, where have you been? Your brother said you left his house over an hour ago." Mrs. Evans asked.

"Matthew's grandmother owns The Palace. He was just showing me around."

"I'll just bet he was." Mr. Evans mumbled under his breath.

Clearly, Matthew hadn't made the impression he was hoping for. He needed to find a way to lessen the tension in the air. Millions of words ran through his mind; yet, none of them stopped long enough to form a coherent thought. Destiny spoke before he could.

"This isn't about Matthew; this is about us."

"We're just concerned, Destiny." Mr. Evans exhaled deeply. "Your brother tells me that you aren't spending time with Darren anymore…and then you disappear for an hour with Matthew…Your mother and I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Of course I'm not okay. I found out that three of the people I loved most in the world had been lying to me my whole life. How can I be okay after that? The only thing Matthew has done is to try to help me get through it."

Matthew could tell Destiny was becoming emotional. Beneath the table, he slipped his hand into hers. After a couple of seconds, he noticed her relax. Seeing Destiny relax helped him relax as well. Seeing as he was the subject of the tense conversation, he thought it best if he was the one who changed the topic. "Mr. and Mrs. Evans, the Palace serves a great chicken parmesan, should I call over a waiter?"

Mrs. Evans smiled weakly. "Thank you Matthew. That would be nice."

The rest of the evening went more smoothly as the Evans family discussed subjects that did not directly include him or their current family drama. Matthew could have sworn he saw a frown on all the elder Evans' faces when it was revealed that he and Destiny planned on attending the same college: either Llanview U or Penn State. However, the mood lightened again when Mrs. Evans teased Shaun about if he was ever going to get married. By the end of the evening, Matthew could tell Destiny felt better and as a result, he did, too.

In the car on the way back to Destiny's house, they talked about his brother David. Matthew still had been unable to find out where his Uncle Clint had him hidden. He would continue his search for David the next day. As had become their newest habit, Matthew held Destiny's hand as he walked her to her door. He was the first to break the silence. "So, tonight went okay, right? It seems like your…like Mr. and Mrs. Evans don't hate me anymore." Now, he never knew whether he should refer to them as their parents or her grandparents.

"They never hated you, Matthew. Besides, you're nonnegotiable."

"What do you mean?" He hoped he knew what she meant.

"They know you're going to be in my life…period."

He stopped them from walking. "As your friend?"

"Always." She moved closer to him. "Although, I was beginning to like the idea of having you around as something more."

His voice deepened, "You were?"

She nodded. It was a much of a sign as he needed before he once more moved to kiss her. This time it wasn't Destiny who stopped him, it was Shaun.

"Don't even try it, Matthew." Once more the raised eyebrow appeared indicating Shaun meant business.

"He was just saying goodnight." Destiny fussed at her brother.

"He can do that without his lips."

"Shaun!"

Matthew may have been crazy about Destiny, but he was not going to provoke Shaun more than he need to. "Des, I'll see you in school tomorrow."

"Say goodnight, Destiny." Shaun reminded.

"Goodnight Matthew." What she did next surprised both Matthew and Shaun. Aided by her heels, she stood on her toes and gave him a quick kiss on the mouth before she turned and walked toward the house. As she passed Shaun, she stuck out her tongue.

As Matthew headed back to the car, he heard Shaun call out. "I'm watching you, Buchanan."

Still, even Shaun's threats couldn't dampen Matthew's mood. Destiny kissed him. She was coming around. And that meant everything in the world to him.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hi all, sorry this took so long. Work has been a bit on the crazy side. Then I saw Matthew's reaction to the kiss and wanted to smack him through the screen. LOL. I'm sure he'll be back to himself soon (at least I'm hopeful). So, anyhow, this is the kinder, gentler Matthew than on-screen Matthew…but I still tried to keep his edge. Hope you enjoy. BTW, I'm not sure if I got Shaun's career, but go with it. _

Chapter 4 – Breaking Through

Sitting behind his desk, Matthew typed a correspondence to the BE's shareholders. His mind raced as he considered how many eyes would someday see his work. If he were honest with himself, he'd admit he was going to miss his job. Still, after what his Uncle Clint had done to his parents, there was no way they would let him continue working for him. In fact, he had to lie to them about having Chess club practice in order to work the previous three days.

Not surprisingly, Uncle Clint was totally onboard with deceiving his parents. Still, Matthew knew as soon as Clint learned he was secretly spying on him, he'd fire him on the spot. Although it saddened him some, he knew he couldn't work there much longer anyway, especially since he found out that Clint was holding his brother David against his will. It had been two weeks since he found out that David needed his help, but he was still unable to figure out his whereabouts.

Ms Curtain, a woman in her 50s and his administrative assistant, popped her head into his office. "Mr. Buchanan, Ms. Evans is here to see you."

"Thank you Ms. Curtain, you can send her in."

Destiny walked into his office wearing a look that told him he was about to hear an earful. "Hey Des."

"Matthew Buchanan, why do you make Ms. Curtain call you Mr. Buchanan? She's old enough to be your mother."

Matthew shrugged. "Uncle Clint said it's best not to get too familiar with the staff."

"The staff?" She rolled her eyes then shook her head in disgust as she moved closer to his desk. "What am I going to do with you?"

"You could kiss me again." He thought of the way she'd kissed him to taunt her brother, Shaun.

"You wish." For a moment, he thought Destiny was actually flustered, which caused him to laugh. Seconds later, she regained her composure. "Besides we don't have time for all of that. You have to find my besty. I need to ask him some relationship advice."

"Like what?" Matthew realized he might have asked too eagerly.

Destiny sat on the edge of his desk. "Well, like this guy I like asked me to the Valentine's Day dance, but he hasn't asked me what color dress I'm wearing and the dance is in three days. How are we going to coordinate if he doesn't know what color I'm wearing? I need to ask my besty if the guy is interested."

"Des, I thought we settled this. First of all, I'm your besty." He stood and moved closer to her mouth. "And I'm definitely interested." He planted a gentle kiss on her lips before he returned to his chair. "Besides, you mentioned a week ago that you were wearing red and white to coordinate with the theme colors."

"You were paying attention?"

"I always pay attention to you." After his admission, he felt the warmth rise to his cheeks. He took a deep breath, "And now I need your help. I need you to help me figure out where else I can look for information on where my uncle is keeping David."

"Did you check his office?"

"I can't get in there for more than five minutes alone."

Matthew processed Destiny's words from a few minutes earlier. "Wait a second, did you just say you liked me?"

"Focus Matthew." She tapped her finger against his nose, which made it completely impossible for him to focus on anything but her. After a loud sigh, she added, "Maybe you should just tell your parents. I mean...your dad is the police commissioner."

Matthew leaned back in his chair. Maybe Des was right; after all she usually was. Problem was he knew his dad would get ticked and he'd go directly to confront his Uncle Clint. Soon, he was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Destiny's cell phone ringing.

As she looked at the screen, she frowned. "It's Darren."

"Darren still calls you?"

"Yes, we agreed to be friends." He noticed she continued to look at the phone.

"Are you going to answer?"

"No, I'll call him back later."

It wasn't the answer Matthew was looking for. Something in him hated the idea that Destiny still talked to Darren; worse yet, she was going to talk to him when he wasn't around. He knew he had no right to object because if he had seen the light a year ago, when Destiny first told him she was in love with him, there would be no phone calls from Darren. There would be no Darren…at least not in Destiny's world. Still, his mouth began to speak without waiting for his brain. "How often does Darren call?"

"Not that often."

"Everyday?"

"No…but I'm not going to be rude. Darren has always been nice to me."

That was what Matthew was afraid of. He already knew Darren was a good guy and part of him wondered whether he could compete. "Why are you still talking to him? He's not your boyfriend anymore." Matthew could have kicked himself as soon as the words came out of his mouth.

Her annoyance was suddenly etched all over her face. "Matthew, you don't get to decide who I talk to."

He intended to agree with her, but instead his mouth took control from his brain. "Why should you still talk to Darren now that we are together?"

"Did I miss something?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is did I miss the conversation where I became your girlfriend? We kissed…twice and you're taking me to the Valentine's Day dance, neither of which makes me your girlfriend. Even if I was, it still wouldn't mean that you get to decide who I talk to."

Matthew dropped his head and mumbled, "I know, but-"

"But what? Darren is very clear that I am not getting back together with him."

"How can he be clear if you're talking to him all the time?"

Destiny rolled her eyes, checked her watch and then announced, "I need to bounce. I'll talk to you later, Matthew."

"Des, wait, I'm sorry." From her frown, Matthew knew he made her mad and he hated it. "You don't need to go."

"Yes, I do. Call me if you find anything out about David." And with that, he watched helplessly as she walked out of the door.

Great, he thought to himself, they'd just had their first argument and they weren't even a couple yet. Although he knew Destiny would never give up on him completely, he considered that his recent jealous behavior might cause her to not want him as a boyfriend. If only he'd have been able to keep his cool about Darren calling. There was little chance of that; what he wanted to do was hack into Des's cell phone records and see how many times Darren called. Even thinking such a thing made him feel completely insane.

Then it hit him; he needed the phone bill…not Destiny's but his Uncle Clint's. If he could get copies of the phone records, he could track David down. Within seconds, he'd given Ms. Curtain some an excuse about his uncle asking him to research changing cell phone providers for the Company. He explained that he needed to review the records before he made an informed decision. A few minutes later, she had him in contact with a nice man from accounting who let him take a look at the last month's cell phone bills for any employee he wanted…including his Uncle Clint.

Thirty minutes after the idea popped into his head, he'd found a number in Morocco that his uncle called relatively often. He wondered if this number was the key. He couldn't wait to tell Destiny…if she was still speaking to him. On the drive to her house, he felt he should buy her something to make up for being a jerk earlier. By the time he arrived, he was holding a box of Godiva chocolates.

When Des came to the door, she frowned. It was a gesture that shattered his heart into thousands of tiny little fragments.

"Hi Matthew," he noticed that she glanced at her feet before looking at him again. "I didn't expect to see you again today."

"Look Des, I'm sorry. I was jerk. It's just thinking about you and Darren makes me a little crazy lately." He looked down at his peace offering. "I bought you some chocolate."

"Thank you, but you really don't have to bring me something every time you see me."

"But I want you to know how much you mean to me." Now, he looked at the ground.

Her hand slipped into his. "I already know that. I knew it when you were in a wheelchair and you purposely fell on the ground to hold me when I was crying. And I knew it today when you were being a pain in the butt." She grasped his same hand that she'd been holding with her other hand; it made him feel safe. "If you must know, Darren was returning my call."

For a second, he felt himself bite his own tongue. Pushing out a breath of air, he sighed before he answered. This time, he would tell her what she wanted to hear. "You don't have to tell me."

"Right…you know you want me to." She smirked. Sometimes he hated that she knew him so well. Destiny must have been able to read his mind because she broke into a full smile. "I called him to tell him that you and I are sort of seeing each other."

"No we're not." It was his turn to tease her.

"We're not?"

"Nope. You're my girlfriend."

"I'm not you're girlfriend." A blush covered her cheeks as she did her best to fight a chuckle.

"Well, if you're not now…it's only a matter of time." He deepened his voice. "Come on Des, you know we're perfect together. I'm better when I'm around you." Leaning down, he moved to kiss her. No sooner than their lips met, he heard a terrifying sound.

"Matthew Buchanan, if I catch you kissing Destiny one more time…"

All of his fears were realized when he turned and saw Shaun standing behind him. Destiny wasn't phased in the least.

"Shaun, will you stop. You're going to scare the boy."

"Someone needs to." Shaun's face remained stoic as he refused to crack a smile.

With one quick move, she grabbed the gold box from his other hand. "Matthew bought you chocolates…Godiva."

Shaun raised both his eyebrow and the corner of his mouth. "Umm, hmm." He took the box from her hands. "Why don't you come inside?"

Matthew released the breath he was unaware he'd been holding. As they walked in, he remembered the other reason he'd been anxious to see Destiny. Thankfully, Shaun afforded them some privacy when he walked into the kitchen. Matthew took advantage of his absence and whispered, "Des, I found David. At least, I think I did. My Uncle Clint called a number in Morocco a lot."

"Did you reverse directory it?" He could tell she was excited. It was nice that she cared about David almost as much as he did. She and Dorian, David's ex-fiancee, might have been the only others.

"It's an international cell phone. That's as far as I got."

"You just leave the number here with me. I'll check Shaun's computer programs." Brilliant, he thought to himself, Shaun was a private investigator…of course, she could find out where David was.

He looked at his watch. "I should get going."

Destiny walked him to the door where he prepared to kiss her goodbye…until Shaun reappeared. Once more, Destiny beat him to the punch. She stood on her toes and planted a kiss on his lips. And as was becoming her tradition, she turned and stuck her tongue out at Shaun.

Gosh…he loved her. But, even thinking about it made him feel awkward, so he quietly said goodbye and drove home.

A few hours later, Bruno Mars, alerted him to Destiny's call. He answered the phone. "Hey."

"Hi."

"Do you know where David is?" He could tell from her pause it was worse than he expected.

"Well, the phone belongs to a guy named, Amesggin. He lives in Marrakesh…and-"

"And what else?"

"He works as a prison guard. Matthew do you think it's possible you're Uncle Clint had David locked up?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

"How? Are you finally going to tell your Dad?"

He braced himself for the argument that was sure to come. "Nope. I'm going to Morocco."


	5. Chapter 5

_Hi all, I am truly sorry this took me so long to update…especially given the lack of airtime for Matt and Desi. Work has been crazy and I have been unhappy with OLTL's discussion of the kiss (or the fact that it took 6 weeks before they had Matt and Desi discuss). So, I tried to balance sweet Matt with bad boy Matt in this one. Hope you enjoy. Replies are very much appreciated!_

_(Please forgive the typos…it's late. I'll correct them tomorrow._

Chapter 5- Charting a Destination

Matthew and Destiny stood in the doorway of the school gym. Matthew's heart raced rapidly, partly because he was holding Destiny's hand and partly because he was afraid of what the rest of the night might bring. Tonight, he planned to get his brother and bring him back to Llanview.

"I still think you're making a mistake." Destiny frowned at him to emphasize her point. They'd argued about his plan from the time he picked her up until now. Still, she looked great in her red dress, even if she was frowning.

"You've already told me that…three times." Matthew hated that they were arguing, especially when they technically weren't an actual couple.

"Well, I'll say it for the fourth time. You need to tell your dad where David is so he can get him."

"I already told you that I'm going to get David. We talked about this. If I tell my dad, he'll confront my Uncle Clint and he'll move David some place that we'll never find him."

"But Matthew…"

"Des, I don't want to fight with you…not when I'm leaving in a couple of hours." It was February 12, the night of the Valentine's Day dance. He'd hatched a plan. They would go to the dance and stay for an hour. Des would drop him at the airport and he would head to Morocco to find David. Des would return home after the dance, where Shawn would be waiting up. No one would suspect Matthew was gone until the morning.

"Then at least let me go with you."

Matthew shook his head "no," immediately.

"Matthew, you know the two of us work better as a team. We always have."

"It's too dangerous, Des. It would kill me if something happened to you."

"And what am I supposed to do if something happens to you? Do you really expect me to watch you put yourself in danger and do nothing about it?"

"Yes."

She pulled her hands from his and folded them in front of herself. "Why would I do that?"

"Because you know this is something I need to do. My Uncle Clint used me. He turned me against my parents and everyone…except you." He took her hands again. "Can you trust me on this?"

"Fine."

Relieved, he sighed loudly. "Thanks Des. Trust me. I'm as anxious as you are for things to get back to normal."

"After everything that's happened over the last year, I don't know what normal is anymore. "

Destiny was right. Over the last year of their friendship, Matthew's mother divorced his Uncle Clint and remarried his dad. And Destiny found out that her parents were her biological grandparents. All shortly after he'd stupidly broken her heart for Danielle Rayburn. Matthew knew what he hoped their normal would be.

"Normal is more of you and I hanging out like we used to and us going to more dances." He released his left hand from hers and brought it to her cheek. "More of me kissing you."

"I'd like that."

He leaned in and kissed her tenderly. When he noticed she hadn't pulled away, he kissed her again. The kisses would have continued if the sound of Darren's voice hadn't interrupted them.

"Destiny, what are you doing?"

Generally, Darren's presence annoyed Matthew, even more so now that he posed a threat for him and Destiny. So, before Destiny could stop him, Matthew responded, "It seems fairly obvious that she was kissing me."

Destiny sighed, "Matthew, you're not helping."

Of course he wasn't helping and he had no desire to. He could care less if Darren didn't like seeing the two of them together. The truth was he hadn't done anything wrong. He didn't make any moves on Destiny while she was with Darren; so, Darren would have to get over the fact that they were together now.

Darren ignored him and moved closer to Destiny. "Des, you told me that you and Matthew were just friends."

Destiny responded quickly. "We were while you and I were together."

"And now?"

Before Destiny could answer, Matthew did. "And now she's_ my_ girlfriend. And unlike you I'm not going to be stupid enough to break up with her."

"Matthew!" Destiny called his name. It sounded as though she was irritated. "Please."

"You're a real jerk Buchanan, you know that?" Darren began to roll up his sleeves. "It's about time someone taught you a lesson."

"And you think you're the person to do that?" The notion that Darren could beat him was laughable to Matthew, but if he wanted to try, Matthew was more than happy to teach him a lesson.

"What's going on?" Nate asked as he and Danielle approached.

"Matthew thinks I'm going to stand around and let him steal my woman." Darren shouted as he moved closer to Matthew. Matthew didn't flinch.

"I'm not you're woman, Darren."

"So, it's true. That wasn't just a kiss? You're with Matthew now?" Darren looked heartbroken and for the first time Matthew felt sorry for him. Destiny remained silent, which seemed to upset Darren even more.

Darren continued. "Were the two of you together when we were?"

"No Darren, I'm not a cheater. Matthew and I _just_ happened."

Maybe it was the realization that he'd lost someone as special as Destiny and that it was his own fault that hit Darren at that moment. He suddenly looked as though his world crumbled. Nate patted Darren on the back and suggested that they take a walk.

"Des, are you and Matt really together?" Danielle asked after Darren walked away.

"Yes," Destiny said quietly.

Matthew felt his heart race at her words. It was official. Destiny was his girlfriend. Still, he was a little concerned that she didn't exactly seem happy at the moment.

"When did this happen? I mean, I knew you and Darren broke up, but I thought you and Matthew were just friends."

"We were." Destiny paused before releasing a loud sigh. "Dani can we talk about this later? I need to speak to Matthew alone."

"Sure I'll catch you a little later."

Dani was no more than 30 seconds out of earshot before Destiny laid into him. "Matthew, what do you think you were doing with Darren?"

"What do you mean?" He knew what she meant.

"Rubbing our relationship in his face." Destiny crossed her arms in front

"Look Des, Darren's going to have to deal with the fact that you're not his girlfriend anymore. The sooner he gets that we're together now, the sooner he'll be able to move on."

"Did I miss the part where I actually agreed to be your girlfriend?"

"But you just to Danielle we were together."

"I didn't want to embarrass you."

Destiny turned and began to walk away from him. He called after her but she didn't respond. She stopped when she reached his car. When he was a few feet away from him, she said, "I think it's time for you to go to the airport."

Although he tried to start multiple conversations with her, Destiny remained mostly silent on the way to the airport. When he reached for her hand she moved it away. They parked his car and made their way to security. The airport was fairly deserted, which was a good thing as it afforded Matthew more time to hang out with Destiny before his flight.

"Are you sure you're okay with me driving your car?" She asked.

Matthew thought it was an odd thing for her to ask, especially when she hadn't talked to him for the last 30 minutes. Did she really think he cared about the car more than he cared about her? Now would probably be a good time to reassure her. "Des, you can have the car if you want it."

"You would give me your car?" Her voice danced with surprise.

"I just want you to be happy."

"Then don't go…or at least don't go without me."

"I'll be back in two days."

Destiny frowned. "I shouldn't be in any rush to see you again, especially not with the mess you left me to clean up."

"What mess?"

"Oh, I don't know, there will probably be…I don't know…a thousand questions about the almost fight you just got into with Darren."

"I'm sorry, Des. The guy just makes me crazy when he acts like you belong to him."

"Why?"

She stared at him with her big, dark eyes. He threatened to get lost in them. What if something went terribly wrong? What if this was the last time he saw her? There were so many things he wanted to say.

"I don't know," was all he could manage. "Why didn't you tell Darren and Dani that we weren't official, yet?"

"Because I knew when you asked me to be your girlfriend that I'd say yes. What's the point of denying it now only to have to explain it again later?"

Matthew was a Buchanan, which meant he knew when opportunity was knocking and he knew how to answer its call. "So, will you…be my girlfriend?"

Suddenly, Destiny became a bit shy. He could have sworn he saw her cheeks redden as she glanced at her feet. Then she looked up at him with a beaming smile. "Yes, I'll be your girlfriend."

Matthew kissed her lightly as he caught sight of a large clock nearby. If he was going to make his flight, he'd have to say good-bye now. He pressed his forehead against hers. "I'll see you soon."

"You'd better come home safe."

"I will." He kissed her once more before he grabbed his bag and ran toward security. When he was barely within earshot, he called out. "Hey Des…I love you." Then he disappeared into the crowd.


	6. Chapter 6

_Hi all. Thanks for not giving up on this story. It's romantic than anything we'll ever see on screen with these two, but c'est la vie. Something you should know: in this story, Cris and Layla never broke up and Layla never cheated. Not a huge amount of story progression in this chapter, but I hope to have the whole tale wrapped up in two more chapters. I really hope you enjoy. Replies are greatly appreciated._

**Destiny- Chapter 6 –Birds of a Feather**

Matthew checked his cell phone at least 10 times as he waited to board his flight. He'd just told Destiny he loved her or rather he shouted it on his way to the security line. But to his surprise, she hadn't shouted anything back. Worse yet, she hadn't called or texted. Typically, she would have done either of those things if he hadn't told her he loved her. Maybe it was too much too soon. But how could it be? Destiny had to know he loved her. He loved her even before he was _in love_ with her. She was everything to him. No one ever stuck by him the way she did, not even his parents.

"Matthew Buchanan? What are you doing here?"

Matthew looked up to see a beautiful woman with the same chocolate complexion as Destiny. He recognized her immediately. It was his art teacher, Cristian Vega's fiancée, Layla Williamson.

"Hi," His mind scrambled for a way to explain that he was travelling alone to Paris, where his plane was delayed for five hours. "Um, my family has a place in London and I've always wanted to see Paris."

"You're leaving on a Saturday night? Don't you have school on Monday?"

He hated that Layla was being so inquisitive and he hated that he had to find creative ways to avoid lying. People might say many things about him, but they couldn't call him a liar. "Yeah, but I'm just taking a short trip and I have a friend picking up my homework." He needed to get her to change the subject and he had an idea how. In his experience, women loved to talk about feelings and relationships. Right now, he could really use the advice. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"If you tell a girl that you love her and she doesn't say anything back, what does it mean?"

Like a moth to a flame, Layla scooted closer. She was hooked. "Well, it depends on a lot of things."

"Like what?"

Layla tossed her hair over her shoulder and began tapping her finger as though she was deep in thought. "Well, it can depend on how well you know her. Was she a random woman you saw walking down the street or was she your girlfriend or was your relationship with her somewhere in between stranger and girlfriend?"

"I know her better than anyone else and I'm pretty sure she was my girlfriend."

"Pretty sure? How can you be unsure whether you have a girlfriend or not?"

He sighed deeply. "Well, first we were friends, then we kissed and she told me she wasn't ready to date me. Then we kissed again, went to a dance, kissed some more and I told her ex-boyfriend that she was my girlfriend before I actually confirmed it with her."

Layla made a face, which reinforced the horror that he now felt at his own actions. "What did she say about that?"

"Nothing at the time. She later gave me a piece of her mind about it…but then she agreed to be my girlfriend. Then we got to the airport and I told her I loved her…as I was leaving." Matthew crashed his head into his hands. "Way too soon. I'm pathetic."

"You're not pathetic, maybe she just needs some time." Layla patted him on the shoulder. "Wait, are you talking about Destiny?"

Matthew felt his cheeks warm with embarrassment. Had he so obviously worn his feelings for the world to see? "Um yeah."

Layla broke into a wide smile. "Cris talks about how adorable the two of you are all the time. He always thought the two of you would end up together."

Matthew felt himself frown. "You and Mr. Vega talk about me and Des?"

"Every once in a while. Cris says that the two of you remind him of us. We were best friends before we were together."

"Really?"

"Yes. We were best friends, too. Cris was the first to feel something between us and I pushed him away. It just took a little persistence and now, we're engaged." Layla held out her hand to display the ring. He'd seen it from afar on prom night when Mr. Vega proposed, but still, he humored her. "Now, not even the distance can keep us apart."

"You live in Paris now?"

"I do. And, Cris just got into a summer Master's Degree program to study in Paris this summer."

"Cool." He wondered if he and Des would get engaged one day. It wouldn't happen if she never spoke to him again. His eyes wandered to his cell phone. He'd saved as wallpaper, a self-portrait of himself and Destiny that they'd taken on his phone while they were still _just_ friends. As usual, her smile was bright and he was happy as he typically was when he was around her.

"Just call her." Layla nudged him with her elbow. For a moment, he considered taking her up on her suggestion, but then, a flight attendant announced that it was time to board the flight.

He and Layla walked to the first class section. Her ticket was courtesy of her job; his was courtesy of privilege. Layla convinced the middle-aged man who was originally assigned to sit beside him to change seats with her. Though the man originally suggested that he stay and Layla sit on his lap. As the other passenger boarded the plane, Layla again pushed him to call.

His fingers glided over the face of the phone until he reached Destiny. Then he hit send. The strangest thing happened: as he heard the phone ring on his end, he heard the familiar tune of a Bruno Mars song that he knew Destiny had programmed to play anytime he called. The song seemed to grow more distant. Excusing himself from Layla, he headed toward the coach section of the plane. And there she was.

"Des! What are you doing here?"

"Going to Paris." With one look, she dared him to tell her not to go.

He rose to the challenge. "No you're not. You need to get off the plane."

"I'm not going to let you do this alone. We're a team, remember?" She remained planted in her seat.

"Not when you could get hurt." A flight attendant approached him and told him he needed to be seated. When he remained unmoved, the flight attendant signaled another. Fortunately, for both he and Destiny, Layla came in for the save giving some cockamamie story about Destiny being her little sister and belonging in first class. Matthew offered his credit card and Layla whisked Destiny to the first class section, calming the almost nervous flight attendants. Layla's newfound friend with whom she'd switched seats earlier was happy to offer her the spare seat beside him, leaving him and Destiny in their own segregated section of seats.

Neither said a word for the first hour of their flight, not even during the dinner that was served. It wasn't until dessert, when he reached for the cherry that topped her sundae that she finally caved. "I didn't say you could have that."

The words sounded like music to his ears. "But you never eat the cherry."

"Still, you shouldn't have just taken it." She fixed her eyes intently on him.

He sighed, "And you shouldn't have followed me to get David. It's not safe and I can't lose you Des. Do you know how important you are to me?" It was his turn to stare at her.

She lowered her eyes under the scrutiny of his gaze. "Yes, it's why I couldn't let you go alone." She sighed deeply. "I love you, too, Matthew."

And with four simple words, all the anger melted from his heart. Now, he moved closer to her until his lips met hers. They kissed until the sound of a flight attendant clearing her throat interrupted them. Destiny immediately became embarrassed and hid her face on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head. All the while he formulated a plan. He would delay his layover from four hours to eight and show her Paris, the most romantic city in the world. Then they would make a stop to see Layla. He'd make an excuse and then he'd disappear. Destiny would be furious, but she would be safe and that was all that mattered to him.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hi all, given the amount of angst going on right now on OLTL, this one is pretty low on heartache and high on romance. Hope you enjoy. Reviews are always appreciated._

Destiny 7- Time for Romance

Matthew held tightly to Destiny's hand as they walked along the most famous street in Paris, L'Avenue Champs des Elysees. Her petit hand fit easily into his larger hand. Her smaller hands and her shorter frame were the differences between them that he liked. It made him feel like her protector, a role that he liked. After dropping off their carry-on bags at their hotel, they began their walk around Paris. An hour later, he thought they should eat and get some rest before _he_ snuck off for his flight to Morocco.

It was their fortune that it was a warm, sunny day in Paris. It was such a beautiful day that at first he felt guilty about sharing it with Destiny while David was rotting away in a Moroccan jail cell. Then he got an idea. He telephoned his Uncle Clint and told him that he'd taken Destiny on romantic trip to Paris. Though Uncle Clint had done a lot of truly bad things, one thing he had going for him, in Matthew's eyes, was that he loved Destiny. Uncle Clint always told Matthew that Des was a philly that Asa would approve of. Just as he expected, his Uncle Clint volunteered to smooth things over with his parents and Shaun. By the time Matthew hung up, he'd succeeded in throwing his Uncle Clint off of his trail and having his uncle "smooth" things out with his parents. Shaun was another story. He expected the man to snap him in half as soon he saw him. Still, he'd at least bought them some time.

With a kiss, he proclaimed his good news to Des. Then he escorted her to a table at a sidewalk café. A tall, thin waiter with shoulder-length brown hair approached their table and asked, in French, if he could take their order.

"Un café et un thé, s'il vous plait." He'd remembered that much from his first semester French class. Still, he hoped he impressed Des…and with one look in her eyes, he could tell that he had.

"Merci," the waiter said before departing toward the inside of the restaurant.

"Matthew, you speak French?" The light flickered in Destiny's eyes. Sometimes she looked at him as though he was the most amazing person…and he loved it.

"A little." He dropped his head as he tried to hide the smile that developed from her noticing. Part of him wondered why he suddenly felt shy; the other part of him already knew. Impressing her had come to mean everything to him and when he was able to do it, he was very happy.

She sat forward in her chair. Reaching across the table, she took his hands in her own. "What else can you say?"

"Tu es trés belle." He knew she would ask what it meant. When he told her it meant, "You are very beautiful," she rewarded him with a kiss. He remembered the phrase "I love you," but before he could say it again in any language, he needed the answer to a pressing question. "Des, why didn't you text me or call me?"

"When?" She seemed genuinely confused as to what he was talking about. How could she not know?

For an hour, he'd sat at the airport...just wondering. It was the worst hour of his life. The whole time, he was kicking himself for saying the words too fast. He remembered sitting at the gate tapping his foot against the floor in nervous anticipation of a phone call or any sign that he hadn't totally destroyed their friendship. If he had to spell it out he would. "After I told you I loved you at the airport, you didn't call or text me or anything."

Destiny tilted her head to the side as she pretended to think. "Oh, you mean after you _shouted_ you loved me when you were on your way through security?"

He dropped his head. "Yeah, then. I mean, I know you were planning on sneaking on to the plane and following me to Morocco, but you still could have called and acknowledged what I said. I thought you were going to tell me that I ruined everything between us. So, why did you wait?"

Destiny pulled her hands back from his before she sighed loudly. "I wanted to be sure I could say it back."

Matthew felt the anger well up from somewhere deep inside him. He looked at her as though she was a stranger. "You weren't sure if you loved me?"

"I wasn't sure if _you_ loved me and I needed to be sure before I told you how I felt." She took a deep breath. "Matt, you're my best friend. We share everything. I remember how fast you told Dani you loved her and look how that turned out."

"Yeah, I told her I loved her fast, but it took me like six months to get over her." He noticed the irritated look on her face. It was certainly not his intention to make Destiny relive the whole Dani thing. He was simply trying to remind her that he didn't take matters of the heart lightly. He moved his hand across the table until it found hers. His fingers traced the outline of her hand. "Dani's not the point. The point is I don't say I love you if I don't mean it. But, you should know, I've been over Dani for months."

"You never told me you were over Dani."

"Des, I couldn't…because I knew _you_ were the reason. I remember shopping for your birthday gift. I wanted to get you a better gift than Darren was going to get you, which was weird to me since I knew Darren was your boyfriend. I told myself that I only wanted to buy you something great because you had been such a good friend to me. But when I got to the party, I wanted you to like my gift more than everyone else's, which you did until Nate showed up with those stupid earrings that you loved. Next thing I knew he was all over you."

She scoffed, "Nate was not all over me. It was just a hug."

"It was two hugs. " Matthew dropped his head as he prepared to tell Destiny the truth for which he knew she would blast him. "So, I followed him outside and I told him that I wasn't going to let him put the moves on my best friend." He was still glad he set Nate straight.

"You did what?" Her dark wide eyes widened even more. Still, she didn't seem as angry as she seemed confused. "Why would you do that? Nate was with Dani."

"Because him touching you made me crazy." He intensified his gaze until she met his eyes with her own. "Besides, maybe part of me was afraid that Nate would figure out the same thing I had." He pushed her braids behind her shoulder. "Dani doesn't hold a candle to you." Their mouths met in a tender kiss.

"Wow," Destiny sighed as they ended the kiss. "I had no idea."

"Well, I kind of couldn't tell you until after you broke up with Darren. Des, we've seen enough cheating to last us a life. I couldn't turn us into the same thing that we hated."

Destiny's voice grew soft as she closed the space between them. "Well, just so you're sure Matthew Buchanan, Nate Salinger is not my type. I love you and only you."

"I love you, too."

The waiter arrived with his coffee and her tea. He liked that she drank tea though most of their friends drank coffee; it made her unique. They ordered dinner and continued to talk about everything from the sights they had seen that day to Shaun's reaction when they returned and what David may have had to endure while he was imprisoned. After eating, they took a long quiet stroll in which they walked hand in hand back to the hotel.

Inside the hotel room, Matthew noticed things that he hadn't seen before like the welcoming champagne and chocolates that sat on the desk. Both were decorated with beautiful blue and silver ribbons. There would be no sips of champagne on this trip. Shaun had enough reasons to kill him already. Maybe they could save it for a special event like their college graduation party or their wedding. Matthew shook the thought from his mind. They were way too young to think about getting married. Still, he felt as though he'd had a lifetime of experiences with Destiny ranging from his paralysis to his mother's divorce from his uncle and her remarriage to his dad as well as Destiny finding out her parents were really her biological grandparents.

"What are you thinking about?" Destiny asked as she entered the room. She'd disappeared to the bathroom a few moments after they entered the hotel room. As he turned to face the sound of her voice, he noticed that she'd changed into a short, t-shirt like sleep shirt.

"Uh, I can't remember," he answered honestly as he gazed at her legs. "All I can think about now is you." Heat flooded his cheeks at his admission.

"Matthew." She giggled then dropped her eyes.

"I'm serious." He closed the space between them. "You look amazing." He leaned down and kissed her passionately…until he felt her break from their kiss when they began to move toward the bed.

"Matt, I don't think…I mean this is fast. I'm not sure if I-"

Even though she couldn't get the words out he knew what she meant. "You want to wait?"

She nodded. "I love you but yes. Do you mind?"

"Des," he caressed her cheek with his hand. "You waited for me to catch a clue for like two years. If you want to wait, we'll wait." He kissed her forehead.

"You're not mad?"

"How can I be? I love you." He tapped her nose. "But, I'm going to take a long cold shower." They both laughed as he disappeared into the bathroom.

He hoped his shower would last long enough that she would be asleep when he got out. And she was. She looked like an angel while she slept and he realized that for the last two years she'd been like an angel to him…sent by his grandpa Asa. He lay beside her, all the while knowing that he would have to leave her…and that she would be furious with him. It didn't matter. He would die before he let anything happen to her.

Three hours later, morning rushed in quicker than he expected. His heart broke as he dressed quickly and packed his bag. He jotted a quick note before he left. It read:

"Des, leaving you this morning was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I didn't have a choice. Morocco is too dangerous. If you don't hear from me in two days, send help. I love you, Matthew."

He kissed her forehead, which caused her to stir a bit before she drifted back to sleep. Then he headed to the front desk where he gave the note to the concierge along with instructions to give the note to Destiny along with breakfast in three hours…after he was safely on the plane.

After Matthew arrived at the airport this time, he made sure he was the last person to board his flight so that he could be certain Destiny didn't follow him. As the plane became airborne, the watched as the plane left Paris, taking him closer to David and further from Destiny.


	8. Chapter 8

_I tried to write faster, but work has been insane. This is the second to last chapter and it's mostly Matthew and David. It's a little longer than usual, but I hope you enjoy._

Chapter 8- The Conquering Hero

No sooner than Matthew began to walk the streets of Morocco, he thought he began to suffer from sensory overload. The dessert sun shone brightly against the tan and beige buildings. Multicolored fabrics and vases lined the streets surrounding the marketplace. And there were so many people. It was so amazing that part of him wished Des was there with him. Mostly, he was glad that she was in Paris, safe, sound and probably furious.

He'd stopped at the hotel in Marrakech before heading out. It was there that he changed into a business suit. His own pale skin visibly stood out from the tannish-brown hues of the average Moroccan's skin, so despite his age and youthful appearance, he opted to play the American businessman. Now, as the sweat poured from his brow, he was beginning to rethink his decision.

Looking around, Matthew tried to match his physical location with the coordinates on his map. If he was right, Amesggin Daoud, the owner of the cell phone that made the regular calls to Buchanan Enterprises lived right around the corner. If Daoud spoke to his Uncle Clint regularly, there would be no language barrier; however, he still needed to find a way to convince Daoud that he was legitimate.

Deciding on the direct approach, Matthew knocked on the door. A tanned man of about 40 answered.

"May I help you?"

"Mr. Daoud?" Matthew waited for the man to provide some sort of acknowledgement to his question, but he didn't. So, Matthew continued, "Hi, I'm here on behalf of Clint Buchanan and Buchanan Enterprises."

"Yes?"

"Mr. Buchanan no longer needs you to hold Mr. Vickers. He's sent me to pay you for your time and transport Mr. Vickers back to Mr. Buchanan." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a check that he'd created on the computer to look like BE check stock. Daoud reached for the check, which Matthew quickly pulled back. "I need you to deliver Mr. Vickers first."

"What did you say was your name?"

"Kevin…Kevin Buchanan." He gave his cousin's name in case Daoud decided to verify the name. It would prove that he had the power to negotiate.

Daoud stepped into his home for a moment then he reemerged and locked the door behind him. "I will take you to him. Come."

Daoud walked to the side of his home where a motor scooter was parked. He got on and invited Matthew to join him. A short time later, they arrived at a stone structure which had a door that looked like stacked dominoes. Matthew inferred that Dauod held a somewhat important position by the way people greeted him. They walked through a front gate and then down the hall to a dingy cell area.

"Wait here." Daoud commanded. He walked a few feet ahead and spoke with another guard. He then returned to Matthew. "Follow me."

Near the end of the row of cells, he saw a familiar figure cowering in the corner. It was David.

"Mr. Vickers." Daoud cleared his throat after he spoke. "It appears your time with us over."

David turned and faced Matthew. Matthew could see the expression on David's face changing. It was turning into an expression of pure joy. Matthew knew it meant something that would hurt both of their chances to make it out of there alive would come out of his mouth. He raised his eyebrows in an attempt to silence David, but it was too late because before he could stop David, he exclaimed, "Little Bro!"

Daoud immediately spun on his heels and faced Matthew. "You are this man's brother? What kind of trick is this?" he shouted. "You will pay for your deception."

"There was no deception, I swear. I actually work for Buchanan Enterprises. My name is Matthew Buchanan." Matthew reached in his pocket to remove a business card, but soon found himself facing the end of Daoud's gun. "You are this man's brother. He is not a Buchanan. That was made clear by the man who keeps him here." His dark eyes narrowed on Matthew. "Join your brother." He pointed to the inside of the cell.

"But if you just let me show you my card."

"Inside!" Daoud demanded.

"I can pay you."

Daoud gave him a bit of a shove until he landed inside of the cell next to David. Daoud slammed the heavy cell door behind him and then locked it with a large iron key. Then he and David watched helplessly as Daoud walked away.

"Well, you totally blew that one." David snickered.

"Me?" Matthew yelled. "If you hadn't called me little bro, we would have been out of here by now." Matthew remembered that he still had his cell phone on him and grabbed it out of his pocket. He pressed the speed dial number for Destiny. The call went straight to voicemail. "Des," he spoke quietly, "I found David. We're in trouble. Get my dad." He heard Daoud returning and quickly whispered into the phone, "I love you." He shoved the phone into his jacket pocket and tried to look inconspicuous.

Daoud yelled, "Do you know how much trouble you have caused me, Matthew Buchanan?"

"You believe me now?"

"Yes, I googled." He paced back and forth in front of the cell. "You are a complication I did not need. Come here." Daoud gestured for Matthew to walk to the front of the cell. When he was just inches away, Daoud commanded once more, "Hand me your jacket."

Matthew thought of a thousand ways to stall. However, when he saw Daoud reach for the gun holster he removed his jacket and pushed it through the bars of the cell. Daoud patted the jacket until he found the cell phone. "Aha!" he cried out before he threw the phone to the floor and smashed it into a thousand pieces. "You're next."

He walked off, leaving Matthew to wonder just what he meant. Matthew broke out into a sweat as he wondered what Daoud had planned for him. He turned to face David in the hopes that they could formulate a plan. What he found was David with a goofy grin on his face.

"That man wants to kill me. Why are you smiling?"

"_You_," David practically sang.

"What?"

"Did I just hear you tell my BFF that you loved her?" David socked him in the arm.

"Yes." Matthew felt the heat rush to his face. He barely realized he'd said the words again because they came so naturally. The truth was that he loved her even before he was _in_ love with her. And now that the two emotions had melded, he felt a contentment that he hadn't felt in a very long time.

"My little bro and my BFF. Can it get more perfect?" David shoved a small rock at him. "Here."

"What's this for?" Matthew wrinkled his brow. Sometimes his older brother was so weird.

"It's to draw a picture of the love of your life, _my BFF_, next to the picture of the love of my life." David pointed to the wall where a stick figure named "Dorian" was on display.

"I think I'll pass."

"That's what you say now…just wait. You'll change your mind before the end of the month."

Matthew sighed. Sometimes he felt like he was David's older brother and not vice versa. "David, we have to think of something to get out of her before that Daoud guy comes back and kills us."

David smiled widely. "I've already beat you to the punch." He ran to the thin mattress that lay on top of a metal frame. He lifted it and produced a spoon. Waving his hand wildly, he gestured for Matthew to come to the corner of the room. On the floor, covered by a small grayish napkin. David removed the napkin to reveal a small hole approximately 3 inches in diameter. "I've been working on digging myself out for weeks now."

"Tell me this is not your plan." Matthew slapped his hand against his forehead before he slid on to the bed.

"When did you get to be so negative?"

Matthew chose to ignore David's comment and instead racked his brain for a way to get the two of them out of there. Everything from the ridiculous to the totally impractical crossed his mind. The space between the bars was too slight for him to squeeze his way through. A pet lizard couldn't fit through the hole David dug. So, Matthew decided he would wait for the inevitable.

While he waited, he thought of Destiny. He remembered the way they shared sundaes at the palace not long after they met. Then there were all those times he played the piano while she sang. She had the sweetest voice. He also remembered the way she stood by him when he was paralyzed; she was the only one he let push his wheelchair. It was probably because he knew she didn't pity him like everyone else in his life at the time. He smiled as he remembered that Dani called Destiny his soulmate on his flight to get the surgery that Destiny had fought for him to get. At the time, he'd questioned whether guys had soulmates. Over time, he learned that they did; Destiny was his. Maybe he'd always known she was _the one_ or maybe he just wished that he had.

David sat beside him on the bed. "You're thinking about my BFF aren't you?"

"Actually, I'm thinking about _my_ girlfriend." He smiled at David as he let the words slip over his tongue. "David, we have to get out of here. I have to see Des again."

"Don't worry, Matthew. Pa will save us."

They waited and waited for Daoud to return, but he was gone for hours. Night fell and morning returned and still, no Dauod or any guards for that matter. About noon the next day, Matthew the most glorious sight: his father and two men wearing suits.

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

His father watched as one of the men, who Matthew would later learn was from the US Embassy stood a few inches from the cell gate did his best to open the cell. "I'm saving my boys."

"But how did you find us?" David asked before Matthew could.

Bo smiled and nodded his head. "Well, I guess you could say that was pure Destiny."

"Is she here?" Though Matthew had done everything he could to ensure that Destiny hadn't come to Morocco, he was still hopeful that she'd followed his dad there.

"No son, she isn't. It's probably the only thing that is going to keep you in Shaun's good graces…or mine for that matter. Matthew, what were you thinking? You could have been killed or you could have gotten your brother killed. You should have told me what you found."

"I know, Dad. I'm sorry."

Bo pulled Matthew into a hug. They were interrupted by the sound of David clearing his throat.

"Excuse me Pa, but I've been missing for months and Matthew's only been gone for like a day. Shouldn't you be happier to see me?"

Matthew and Bo both laughed as Bo made his way to David. Soon, the three men were headed to the hotel to shower and change and then back to Llanview. During the course of their trip, Bo explained that Destiny called him and Shaun from Paris, practically before Matthew's flight left for Morocco. Shaun was able to use his equipment to track Matthew via the GPS signal in his cell phone. Bo contacted the American Embassy who immediately contacted the warden and informed him that David and Matthew were not to be touched.

Part of Matthew was thrilled that Destiny saved the day, but part of him was disappointed that Des didn't think he could be the hero. On the flight back to Paris, Matthew pouted about Destiny's apparent lack of faith in him. Plus, she specifically contacted his dad when she knew he didn't want her to. He wondered what it would mean to their relationship.

At the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, during their layover, Matthew, Bo and David sat at the Hippopotamus restaurant and waited for a waiter. However, Matthew was surprised that the voice he heard was not a waiter's but was one much more familiar.

"Is this seat taken?"

Even though he was angry and hurt and relieved and a thousand other things, he couldn't help hoping that his ears hadn't deceived him. He turned to face her. "Destiny?"


	9. Chapter 9

_Hi all, for my birthday I'm giving you (and me) the gift of completing this story. I've enjoyed writing it and I've loved your comments. I tried to leave enough tension to do a follow up series of one-shots in the future (if time allows). I'll also be treating A Happy Ending as a sequel (that obviously takes place in the future) and I'll be adding more chapters. Thanks again for your encouragement. You keep me writing!_

Chapter 9- The Way Home

To say that dinner at the airport was awkward was an understatement. Matthew greeted Destiny with a quiet, "hello," when she'd approached their table at Hippopotamus. The truth was he was embarrassed that all he'd managed to do in Morocco was to get himself locked up. It didn't help that David gushed about how "Pa" saved the day when he showed up and rescued _both _of them. This forced his dad to tell Destiny how she had been the driving force behind the rescue. Then Destiny did something that surprised him and made him love her more: she covered for him.

"David, Matthew and I _both_ rescued you. Matthew had to get caught otherwise Shaun would have never been able to track the GPS on Matthew's phone."

David looked at Destiny with skepticism. "Are you sure? Because Matthew acted like he was surprised when Amesggin shoved him into the cell. He didn't put up a fight or anything. And his cell phone was in his jacket pocket when Amesggin took it. "

For a moment, Matthew wondered why he'd risked his life to save David. Because the more David rambled about Matthew's incompetence, the more Matthew wished he'd stayed at the Valentine's Day dance with Des.

"Of course, I'm sure," Destiny interrupted David. "He couldn't tell you our plan because you probably would have let it slip. Then we would have never found either one of you."

Mercifully, his father used some excuse about the him and David calling "StepNora" and Dorian to get David away from the table. Before he left, Bo whispered into Matthew's ear loudly enough for Destiny to hear, "She's a keeper."

"I know." Matthew said as he watched Destiny blush at his father's words. Even after his Dad and David were out of earshot, the two sat silently together. Matthew was the first to speak. He needed to clear the air. "So how did you know I was going to screw up and need to be saved?"

"Matthew, what are you talking about? You didn't screw up; you found David. I only called your Dad for help because I was terrified that something would happen to you. I wasn't about to risk losing you." Tears danced at the brims of her eyelids.

"So, you calling my dad wasn't about you thinking that I couldn't take care of myself? Because I would have figured out a way for me and David to escape." Matthew needed Destiny to know that he could take care of himself…or even take care of both of them if he needed too.

"I knew you could handle things, but I waited two years before you had the good sense to make me your girlfriend and now that I am, I want you safe and sound and with me…always."

She leaned in and gave him a tender kiss. They kissed until they were interrupted by the sound of David's voice.

"Pa, look at the little lovebirds. They kind of remind me of me and Dorian, except they're not as hot."

Destiny shook her head. "David, you can't be serious." She giggled.

"Don't you worry, my BFF. You and my baby bro come in a close second in hotness." David turned to Bo. "No offense to you and StepNora, Pa."

The four laughed and enjoyed each other's company until they boarded the plane back home. Matthew smiled as he thought of his father's words about Destiny being a keeper. His dad was right and he was glad that he was now awake enough to see it.

When they arrived at the Llanview airport, Matthew and Destiny exited the plane holding hands. They continued to hold hands until they arrived at the baggage claim area and found an angry Shaun waiting.

"Destiny Loretta Evans, this is the second time you have left the country because of this boy. He could have gotten you killed. You might as well let go of his hand because it's going to be a long time before the two of you are going anywhere together."

Now was as good of a time as any for Matthew to prove he was brave. Maybe it helped that his father, the police commissioner, was nearby. Whatever the case, he knew he needed to clear the air with Shaun. So, he released Destiny's and stepped dangerously inside Shaun's personal space.

"Shaun, I would never let anything happen to Destiny." He took a deep breath, "That's why I insisted she stay at the hotel in Paris."

"You took my little sister to a hotel…in Paris?" Shaun looked at Matthew like he wanted to snap him in half.

"Nothing happened!" Destiny yelled at her big brother.

"Des," he turned to her and gave her a look that told her he would handle it. Though she didn't seem to like it much, she simply folded her arms in front of herself and raised an eyebrow that suggested he could continue without interruption.

"Shaun, nothing happened. I love Des. She's my best friend…and my girlfriend. That means I respect her enough to wait for her…" he took an audible deep breath, "even if that means forever."

"Wait for her to do what?" Shaun eyed him suspiciously. Matthew decided he probably shouldn't push his luck, so he remained silent. Shaun practically growled, "That's what I thought. Little-D, let's go."

Destiny knew when not to argue or provoke Shaun by kissing Matthew goodbye. Still, she managed to wave when Shaun wasn't looking. As he watched her leave, he felt his dad wrap his arm around his shoulder.

"Matthew, I'm proud of you son."

"Proud of me? After everything?"

"Yes. You found your brother, kept the woman you love safe and you stood up to her big brother. And Shaun can be a little intimidating."

"A little?" Matthew felt himself smirk. His dad was the king of understatement. "It sucks, though. Shaun is not going to let me date Des."

Bo chuckled, "You'll find a way."

"You think so?"

David chimed in. "Of course you will little bro. You're a Buchanan. Buchanan's always get their women."

"He's right." Bo patted his back. "Besides, I'm sure Shaun will come around by the time you and Destiny _aren't_ grounded."

It took Matthew a minute to process what his dad was saying. "Wait, I'm grounded?"

"Oh yeah, for a long time. You could have been killed…or got your brother killed and if Destiny hadn't called your mother and I would have had no idea. But, it doesn't mean I'm not proud of you because I am."

Later that evening, after Matthew received an earful from his mother and when the jetlag started to kick in, he went to his bedroom. He ran his finger over the keys on his phone as he decided whether he should call Destiny. Two seconds later, he found himself dialing the familiar number.

The joy in Destiny's voice was apparent as soon as she answered the phone. "Matthew, I wasn't sure you were going to call."

"What kind of guy doesn't call his girlfriend at night?"

She giggled in response and then she grew quiet. Her whole mood had changed. "I don't know how much longer I can be your girlfriend."

"Why?"

"Because Shaun says I can't see you anymore and I think he really means it." She began to cry softly.

"Des don't cry." The sound of her tears broke his heart. "We'll find a way to be together I promise."

She sniffled. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because you're _my _Destiny." He paused. "Besides if we can get through my paralysis, Shaun being shot and my mom's two weddings, we can get through anything." They chatted a few minutes more.

"Matthew, we really make a good team, don't we."

"Yeah Des, we do."

"I love you."

He smiled that she was the first to say it this time. "I love you too." He said the words confident that nothing could change them. He loved her and he always would.


End file.
